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The Gamesters of Triskelion (episode)
Kirk, Uhura and Chekov are kidnapped by aliens and forced to fight other aliens so that a mentally superior race can gamble on the winner. Summary Teaser :"Captain's log, stardate 3211.7. We are entering standard orbit about Gamma II, an uninhabited planetoid with an automatic communications and astrogation station. Ensign Chekov, Lieutenant Uhura, and I will beam down and make a routine check of its facilities." The three Starfleet officers leave the bridge with Commander Spock in command. They enter the transporter room and wait to be beamed down but just as Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott begins the sequence, the three instantaneously disappear from the starship. They find themselves lying on their backs on a strangely decorated floor. Kirk surmises it could be a transporter malfunction, and then realizes that there are three suns and they are on an entirely different planet. Meanwhile, Scott reports the unusual disappearance of the landing party, but they can find no reason. The three trapped officers try to use their communicators only to discover that all of them do not work. At this point, they are surrounded by four alien warriors, all carrying a weapon of some kind, and approaching menacingly. Kirk, Uhura and Chekov draw their phasers and wait for the right moment to fire. Kirk gives the command, but their phasers do not work either. The captain quickly orders hand-to-hand combat, but they are eventually outnumbered and overpowered. Kirk is knocked onto his back and finds a sharp blade aimed at his throat. Act One :"Captain’s log, stardate 3211.8. While beaming down from the Enterprise to inspect facilities on Gamma II, the normal transporter sequence has been interrupted, and we find ourselves on a strange and hostile planet, surrounded by creatures belonging to races scattered all through the galaxy." A mysterious bald figure appears, clothed in black. He commends the Starfleet officers for their fighting spirit and introduces himself as Galt, the master thrall of the planet Triskelion. They are taken to a dungeon and cuffed to the walls where they are fitted with metallic collars. Galt reveals that his masters, the Providers, were "expecting them and arranged their transportation". The three are to be trained as thralls and to fight in the games for the Providers for the rest of their lives. Meanwhile, back on the ship, Mr. Scott has checked the transporter from one end to the other and found no malfunction. Mr. Spock has scanned the planet twice and found no life. Doctor McCoy is getting frustrated with Spock's inability to find any leads on their friend's whereabouts. Back on Triskelion, the Captain, Chekov and Uhura are taken to "quarters" that have been prepared for them. They are prison cells complete with barred doors with their names on them. The three attack the thralls guarding them and make a run for it. Galt's closes his eyes and they start to shine like two stars. The small, white devices on the collars they are wearing light up. They stop dead in their tracks grabbing at their collars and drop to the ground in agony. When Galt opens his eyes, the collars shut off and they slowly get to their feet. Galt tells them that escape is impossible while they wear their Collars of Obedience. The three voluntarily return to their cells. On the Enterprise, Mr. Spock has determined that their missing crewmates are not within the confines of the solar system they are in. Doctor McCoy's frustration is mounting while Spock is at a loss as to where else to look for them. Back in their cells, the prisoners discuss the possibility of rescue by the Enterprise. Uhura is visited by Lars, her Drill Thrall with a tray of food. He backs her into her cell and tells her, "There is little time. I have been selected for you." The sounds of a struggle follow and Uhura cries out while Captain Kirk shouts, helplessly from his cell. One of the female thralls approaches Kirk's cell. He reaches for her through the bars shouting, "What's happening to Lt. Uhura!?" Act Two Kirk still looks on from the bars of his cell as Lars leaves Uhura's cell telling her that it is not allowed to refuse "selection". Kirk's Drill Thrall enters with food telling him it is the "nourishment period" and sits to watch him eat it. :"Captain’s log, stardate 3259.2. First Officer Spock in command. The captain, Lieutenant Uhura, and Ensign Chekov have been missing for nearly two hours. Computer probability projections are useless due to insufficient data." Ensign Jana Haines at the science station on the bridge reports a fluctuating energy reading on a hydrogen cloud. Spock takes over at the science station and identifies it as an ionization trail. The ship's computers can offer nothing that would account for it. Mr. Spock orders a course change to follow the ionization trail. Dr. McCoy accuses Spock on taking them on a wild goose chase. Spock informs him that it is the only lead they have. They leave the system on 310 mark 241 at warp 2. Chekov gets a visit from his big, female drill thrall and is worried that she has been "selected" for him. She has not. She introduces herself as Tamoon and promises to train him well. If her provider chooses him, they may yet be selected for each other. In Kirk's cell, Shahna tells him that the color on the collars are the sign of the provider that owns them. "The Provider that offers the most quatloos puts his color on us." Kirk begins telling her of the concepts of slavery. He starts asking about who operates the collars and how, but Shahna tell him that it is not permitted to speak of that. Kirk then starts putting the moves on her, telling her she is beautiful, but she has never heard the word. He shows her her reflection as a definition. When he asks about where she was born and who her parents were, she tells them her mother was killed in a "freestyle match." A light and gong signals the beginning of the "exercise interval." Shahna gives Kirk a training harness to wear. On the Enterprise, McCoy and Mr. Scott express doubt as to their course of action. Spock has them heading for the nearest solar system along the path of the ionization trail, M-24 Alpha, 11.630 light years ahead. Back in the arena area where they first landed, Kirk, Chekov and Uhura are practicing with weapons with their Drill Thralls. Galt brings out a thrall that was slow in obeying a command for them to use as practice target. Uhura refuses the training exercise as do Kirk and Chekov which earns them a taste of their collars of obedience. Galt orders her bound but Kirk claims responsibility for the actions of his crew and takes her place as practice target. Galt regrets losing Kirk in this way, but that it is worth it as an example to the others. He is bound and placed in the center of the arena Act Three :"Captain’s log, supplemental. Stardate... unknown. Our strange captivity continues. This planet is called Triskelion. We do not know its location. We do not know who controls it. Its dangers... are abundantly clear." Kirk is already bleeding from a wound to his back from the whip of Kloog, the towering alien thrall that has been selected to administer his punishment. During a rest interval, Shahna gives Kirk an energy drink and advises him that Kloog's left eye is weak and to attack from that side. When the combat resumes Kirk works at his bonds and manages to partially untie them. Getting his hands in front of him, he eventually gets Kloog in a strangle hold and is about to defeat him when a voice from above says, "Hold!" It is the voice of Provider 1. He and the voices of Provider 2 and Provider 3 begin bidding for the newcomers. They eventually are vended to Provider 1 for the price of 2,000 quatloos. Kirk asserts that they are free people and belong to no one. Providers #2 and #3 then place a series of wagers: 15 quatloos that Captain Kirk is untrainable, 20 quatloos that all three are untrainable, 5,000 quatloos that they will have to be destroyed, all of which Provider 1 accepts. Galt's eyes light up and the color of their collars changes to red. Galt tells them that they now bear the mark of a fine herd and that any disobedience is now punishable by death. On the Enterprise Mr. Scott is arguing that it does not make sense that their missing friends could have come this far and that they should continue to search the area where they were lost. Spock reminds him that they did and found no sign of them. McCoy is beginning to fear that they might not still be alive after all the time that has past. Somewhere outside the thralls' compound, Shahna and a shirtless and whip scarred Kirk take a break near some ruins after a two mile run. He starts asking why the Providers like watching people suffer and if they are computers but she does not seem to know. She gets nervous when he starts asking if this was a city for the Providers and he starts talking about how the area they are in reminds him of his home planet, Earth. She is unfamiliar with the concept of planets and suns which Kirk says make up the lights in the night sky. He starts in on the concepts of freedom and love. How, on Earth, no one selects a mate for you, you get to choose your own. Shahna does not think his words are permitted and starts to walk away. Kirk goes back to asking about the Providers. She begins to tell him that she has never seen them but that they are said not to be like us. Before she can tell him any more, her collar lights up and she drops to the ground in agony. Kirk looks to the sky shouting that it was his fault, that he made her talk and begging them not to kill her. Act Four Kirk continues to plead for Shahna's life asking that they punish him instead. The voice of Provider 1 asks if that is what humans call compassion. It is interesting but of no use here. That he must learn obedience, if he is to be an excellent thrall. The Shahna's collar shuts off and she asks him why he would risk his own punishment on her behalf. He tells her that it is the custom of his people to help each other when they are in trouble and kisses her on the lips. She asks if this too also is helping, and he says you could call it that. Looking into his eyes she asks, "Please... help me once again." After some more kissing she begins to understand that a man and a woman can be together of their own choice. Galt appears out of nowhere but because they have amused the Providers, there is no punishment. He protectively puts his arm around Shahna and they walk off together. On the bridge of the Enterprise Mr. Spock ask Mr. Scott if they can sustain a speed greater than warp 6. Mr. Scott and Dr. McCoy think they have gone too far already on a hopeless errand. Both of them want to go back to Gamma II for another search. Spock takes them aside and reminds them that he is in command and that they will remain on course unless they are planning to announce a mutiny. They ask that if they do not find them in the trinary system they are approaching, can they then go back for another search of Gamma II. Spock agrees and asks if Mr. Scott can give him warp 7. Mr. Scott happily says yes, "and maybe a wee bit more." Mr. Spock orders warp 7. Shahna brings Kirk his dinner and tells him that he makes her feel "strangely". He starts kissing her again and as she looks at him with bedroom eyes he knocks her cold. Taking her key he frees Chekov and Uhura who have also disabled their drill thralls. They plan to find their phasers and try to short out their collars. As they move across the arena, Galt appears and activates their collars but does not kill them. The voice of Provider 1 tell them that this was just a warning. The Enterprise assumes standard orbit around Triskelion. Sensors show only one concentration of life forms on the planet, in the lower hemisphere and humanoid. Not wanting to endanger the Captain and the others if they are alive by beaming down a large force, Spock plans to beam down with Dr. McCoy. Before they can even leave the bridge the ships systems are frozen by the Providers. Kirk and Provider 1 explain the situation on Triskelion. Kirk accuses the Providers of being too afraid to show themselves. Since they feel he presents no danger while he wears the collar Provider 1 transports Kirk to a chamber 1,000 meters below the planet's surface where three disembodied brains sit in a dome shaped glass case. An enormous power plant looms in the background. The providers explain that their race once had humanoid form but they have evolved beyond it. The games have become their only purpose. They had hoped that the humans would bring new blood to the thralls but regret that they will now have to be destroyed. Kirk threatens that to do so would mean their own destruction at the hands of the Federation and Starfleet, but the Providers plan to make it look like they were destroyed by a magnetic storm so that no one will ever know they were responsible. Enraged, Kirk accuses them of being murderers without the spirit to really wager for the lives they take. As soon as he says it, he realizes that gambling is the key to these creatures. He tells the Providers that his people are the most successful gamblers in the galaxy and it is in their nature to win. He wagers that his crew can defeat an equal number of thralls set against them. The providers immediately start placing bets on the outcome in quatloos, but Kirk tells them that quatloos are trivial and that the stakes must be higher. If they win, the Enterprise goes free and the thralls are freed and started on a course to self governance. If they lose, the entire crew of the Enterprise will become thralls and give them generations of the most exciting wagering they've ever had. The Providers agree but on the condition that Kirk fight three other thralls. Kirk protests that the odds are not fair, but he is told that they are extremely fair since the alternative is death. Because he is fighting for the lives of his crew, the Providers allow them to watch the combat on the ship's view screen. Kirk must stay on the yellow sections of the arena, his three opponents, Kloog, Lars, and an Andorian, on the blue sections. An opponent must be killed to be removed from the game. If only wounded, he is replaced by a fresh thrall. The combat begins. Kirk takes out Kloog and then Lars but only wounds the Andorian. Shahna is brought in to replace the wounded. Kirk does not want to fight her but she accuses him of having tricked her with lies and attacks. Kirk gets her on the ground with his knife to her throat and she surrenders. The Providers keep their word and tell everyone to remove their collars. Kirk tells Shahna that he did not lie and she asks if she can go with him back to the lights in the sky. He tells her that she has much to learn here first before reaching for the stars. He kisses her goodbye and gently strokes her cheek. They beam back to the Enterprise as Shahna, a tear running down her cheek, looks to the sky Kirk has returned to. Memorable Quotes "Mr. Spock, the captain, Lieutenant Uhura, and Chekov, they vanished. They got onto the transporter platform and they just vanished." "I presume you mean they vanished in a manner not consistent with the usual workings of the transporter, Mr. Scott." "Aye, of course I mean that! Do you think I'd call you if they just beamed down?" : - Scott contacting Spock, from the transporter room after the away team disappears "We shall continue sensor scans, Doctor. At the moment, that is all we can do, except hope for a rational explanation." "Hope? I always thought that was a human failing, Mr. Spock." "True, Doctor. Constant exposure does result in a certain degree of contamination." : -'Spock' and McCoy "Don't quote odds and don't give me anymore dispassionate logic, Mister Spock. Just keep looking for them." "I would welcome a suggestion, Doctor, even an emotional one, as to where to look." "First time you've ever asked me for anything, and it has to be an occasion like this." : -'Spock' and McCoy "You're gonna leave here without them and run off on some wild-goose chase halfway across the galaxy just because you found a discrepancy in a hydrogen cloud?" "Doctor, I am chasing Captain Kirk, Lieutenant Uhura and Ensign Chekov, not some wild aquatic fowl. This is the only lead we've had." : - McCoy and Spock "You-- You have been selected for me?" "No. I am only your drill thrall. I have brought you nourishment. It is a nice name, Chee-koo." "Chekov." "Hm. Chee-koof. It is a very nice name. I am called Tamoon." "Oh, uh, pleased-- Pleased to know you, uh... miss?" "You are a fine specimen. I like you better than the others. I will instruct you well, so my Provider will take you." "That's... v..v..v..very kind of you, miss, but--''" "''If my Provider is pleased, we may even be selected for each other." : - Chekov during his nervous encounter with Tamoon, a robust, deep-voice drill thrall. "Will you provide all my nourishment?" "Of course, I am your drill thrall. I will train you well." "Yes, I'm sure you will. I must say, I've never seen a top sergeant who looked like you.;;" "''What does that mean?" "It means you're a very beautiful woman." : - Kirk using his infamous charm on Shahna "Gentlemen, I am in command of this vessel, and we shall continue on our present course. Unless it is your intention to declare a mutiny." "Mr. Spock." "Who said anything about a mutiny, you stubborn, pointed-eared...?" : - Spock, Scott, McCoy "This is going to kill our romance." : - Chekov, to Kirk after tying up Tamoon "Well, Mr. Spock, if you're going into the lion's den, you'll need a medical officer." "Daniel, as I recall, had only his faith. But I welcome your company, doctor." : - McCoy and Spock, as they prepare to beam down to Triskelion "What in the name of heaven is this?" "Heaven's got very little to do with this." : - McCoy and Scotty on the Games Background Information Production * The original title was "The Gamesters of Pentathalon" on the first-draft script from . * This episode was parodied in The Simpsons episode "Deep Space Homer". Performers * Dick Crockett was stunt coordinator for this episode. * Robert Johnson, voice of one of the Providers, was one of America's most famous voices for a few years: he was the tape recorded voice that gave the Impossible Missions Force its assignments at the beginning of most episodes of Mission: Impossible. Mission was filmed next door to the Star Trek set, and actors from the series would often wander over to see what was happening on the Enterprise. * George Takei (Sulu) does not appear in this episode. * Joseph Ruskin later returned to Star Trek twenty-six years after this episode, with three appearances in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, as well as roles in Star Trek: Voyager, and Star Trek: Enterprise. Props and special effects * The Janus VI mining station backdrop painting from is reused in the scene under the surface of Triskelion. * The top of Lazarus's ship from is recycled as the glass bubble that encases the Providers. * Uhura's screams in this episode are recycled from the previous episode and will be heard again in synced with Irene Kelly's mouth. * When Kirk fires his nonfunctioning phaser in the episode's teaser, the small light bulb in the weapon's nozzle can be seen to light up twice. Production timeline * Story outline by Margaret Armen, * First draft teleplay, * Revised story outline, * Story outline, * Revised story outline, * Teleplay by Margaret Armen, * Revised second draft teleplay, Video and DVD releases * Original US Betamax release: . * UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, CIC Video): Volume 24, catalogue number VHR 2359, . * US VHS release: . * UK re-release (three-episode tapes, CIC Video): Volume 2.6, . * Original US DVD release (single-disc): Volume 23, . * As part of the TOS Season 2 DVD collection. Links and References Starring * William Shatner as Captain Kirk Also Starring * Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock :And * DeForest Kelley as Dr. McCoy Guest Star * Joseph Ruskin as Galt Co-Starring * Angelique Pettyjohn as Shahna Featuring * Nichelle Nichols as Uhura * James Doohan as Scott * Steve Sandor as Lars * Walter Koenig as Chekov * Jane Ross as Tamoon * Victoria George as Ensign Jana Haines * Dick Crockett as the Andorian thrall :And * Mickey Morton as Kloog Uncredited Co-Stars * William Blackburn as Hadley * Frank da Vinci as Brent * Walker Edmiston as Provider 2 (voice) * Roger Holloway as Roger Lemli * Robert C. Johnson as Provider 3 (voice) * Bart LaRue as Provider 1 (voice) * Jeannie Malone as a yeoman * Eddie Paskey as Leslie * Unknown actor as the Humanoid thrall Stunt double * Paul Baxley as stunt double for James T. Kirk References astrogation; atom; collar of obedience; communications; Cossack; Daniel; devil; Earth; freestyle match; gambling; Gamma II; Gamma system; goose; hand-to-hand combat; heaven; herd; hydrogen cloud; ionic interference; lion; love; M24 Alpha system; magnetic storm; master thrall; meter; mile; mutiny; nourishment; odds; planetoid; Providers; quatloo; rock; sergeant; slavery; thrall; training harness; transporter; Triad; trinary star system; trisec; Triskelion; whip; External link * |next= |lastair= |nextair= |lastair_remastered= |nextair_remastered= }} Gamesters of Triskelion, The de:Meister der Sklaven es:The Gamesters of Triskelion fr:The Gamesters of Triskelion nl:The Gamesters of Triskelion